Duncan, John, 1812-1872

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John Duncan was an attorney and public figure in Mississippi during the mid-nineteenth century.

Born to Scottish immigrant parents in 1812 in New York, Duncan moved to Grenada, Mississippi, in the 1830s and worked in a dry goods store with a brother and brother-in-law. Through his successful business dealings, he became a plantation owner, and studied law to become an attorney. He married Lucy Howell in 1856 and three children. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Duncan helped raise a company of volunteers for Confederate service—nicknamed the Duncan Riflemen in honor of his financial support for the unit—which was placed into the Forty-Fifth Mississippi Infantry Regiment. He also worked alongside the Confederate government, including President Jefferson Davis, to promote cotton sales to England, and was reportedly a potential candidate for ambassador to England.

Duncan worked as a business manager for several plantations, and served on the University of the South’s board of directors. He died on February 7, 1872. Duncan’s wife and three children all preceded him in death, dying of disease in 1862 and 1863. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi.

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John Duncan belonged to the following social groups:

See also: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33306962/john-duncan

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